Boss of French implant firm jailed after failing to pay bail

MARSEILLE - The founder of the French breast implant company at the heart of a global health scare was jailed on Tuesday after failing to pay his bail, a source said.

Jean-Claude Mas, 72, was jailed at Marseille's Baumette prison, the source said requesting anonymity.

In January he was charged with causing "involuntary injuries" but released on a 100,000-euro (131,000-dollar) bail.

Mas is the founder of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), which shut down in 2010 after it was revealed to have been using substandard, industrial-grade silicone gel. More than 400,000 women around the world are believed to have received the implants.

The French government has advised 30,000 women to have their PIP implants removed, a call repeated in several other countries.